Too many people run Firefox and that ad killer so ads are not what they use to be, that's for sure. Well, in terms of ads from ad networks like Google.

We are doing much better in the last couple months running ads from software developers and game asset designers. They are really helping to pay the bills.

I moved this to free talk by the way... I just wanted to post our visitor platform breakdown and thought everyone would be interested to also see it.

1. Macintosh 53.52%
2. Windows 39.75% (Could be many of you coming here during work.)
3. Linux 4.71% (These guys have less games than we did in the 80s. )
4. iPhone 1.25% (Once TMobile gets a cheaper data pay as you go plan, I might get one. I hate ATT)
5. iPod 0.40% (How does the site look?)
6. ? <--- Hey Amigans, no need to hide your platform from us!
7. FreeBSD 0.03% <---
8. SunOS 0.02% <-- and they said Larry doesn't like games. Oh, could be the target of an MA?
9. Android 0.02% <--- Get a real phone!
10. Playstation .01% <--- I thought WebTV would be higher than these guys.

That is odd. I visit this site many times a day, but I don't know how that would have anything to do with my site.
Anyway, I am glad that advertising is helping and I think I will join in. As it stands, I get a couple dozen visits per day from this site even without advertising!

NelsonMandella Wrote:That's like saying you don't have anything against the Nazis, some feelings are better kept private.

Godwin's law without a debate!

Apple does rotten things from time to time too, in a business sense -- all large companies do; it's just the way business is done... and sometimes they even have to do rotten things by law! To me, nowadays, as I've started to emerge from my youthful, idealistic naivete, the only visible difference between Apple and Microsoft is that Apple makes better products most of the time (sometimes ridiculously better). MS makes great stuff too once in a while though (Xbox 360 for example).

Other than that though, I'm a game developer (well, hobby game dev), and I don't care what platform my games run on. Sure I like developing games on the Mac primarily, but that's just because I prefer the environment right now and I have a substantial running investment in it, in terms of equipment, software, and familiarity. Other than that though, I find I'm happy blabbing with any game developer on any platform. While this is very much a Mac-oriented forum, I'd sure hate to scare off any mult-platform game devs.

AnotherJake Wrote:Apple does rotten things from time to time too, in a business sense -- all large companies do; it's just the way business is done... and sometimes they even have to do rotten things by law! To me, nowadays, as I've started to emerge from my youthful, idealistic naivete, the only visible difference between Apple and Microsoft is that Apple makes better products most of the time (sometimes ridiculously better). MS makes great stuff too once in a while though (Xbox 360 for example).)

<moderator voice>Just because you're less naive than others doesn't mean you should go around making others feel rotten for being naive</moderator voice>

Apple does rotten things from time to time too, in a business sense -- all large companies do; it's just the way business is done... and sometimes they even have to do rotten things by law! To me, nowadays, as I've started to emerge from my youthful, idealistic naivete, the only visible difference between Apple and Microsoft is that Apple makes better products most of the time (sometimes ridiculously better). MS makes great stuff too once in a while though (Xbox 360 for example).

Other than that though, I'm a game developer (well, hobby game dev), and I don't care what platform my games run on. Sure I like developing games on the Mac primarily, but that's just because I prefer the environment right now and I have a substantial running investment in it, in terms of equipment, software, and familiarity. Other than that though, I find I'm happy blabbing with any game developer on any platform. While this is very much a Mac-oriented forum, I'd sure hate to scare off any mult-platform game devs.

I must defend the Nazi analogy by saying that because so few individuals have had the kind of negative impact on the entire world that the Hitler, Stalin, or Bill Gates have had- it's only possible to compare them amongst each other.

I didn't mean to suggest that apple was in any way morally superior to any other company, Apple is a corporation just like any other. I also have many qualms of my own with their business practices. And yeah the xbox is a great machine while it's working properly, I've owned 3 myself(all of them new), and they each broke, half the people I know who bought a 360 within two years of it's release have had a similar experience. The also created the single worst piece of software ever created and they keep releasing new versions of it force-feeding down the public's throat.

NelsonMandella Wrote:And yeah the xbox is a great machine while it's working properly, I've owned 3 myself(all of them new), and they each broke, half the people I know who bought a 360 within two years of it's release have had a similar experience.

That's a fair argument. Actually, I don't know anyone who's Xbox didn't break. Mine did too and they fixed it free of charge. That's pretty good customer service in my book, although I have one friend who's had to send his in three times so he's not as satisfied about it as I am.

One other thing MS did was put out XNA to allow indie developers to program for the 360. They acknowledged it was a little rough around the edges and gave all of us early adopters a few free months extra in return, which I thought was a very nice gesture. Apple OTOH, about that iPhone developer program that they made so miserable with NDA nuttiness for months and massive other hiccups? eh... I'll withhold my comment about what I really think about that.

NelsonMandella Wrote:The also created the single worst piece of software ever created and they keep releasing new versions of it force-feeding down the public's throat.

In all fairness, they're not force-feeding it down the public's throat. One of the great things about competition is that there are other products out there. There's no law forcing you to buy Windows. While I'm primarily a Mac user, and will continue to be, I do plan to purchase a copy of Windows 7 sometime in the future to help facilitate cross-platform game development.